


Save A Horse

by kaybirdie512



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, general crap that comes with being human, slowish burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7269937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaybirdie512/pseuds/kaybirdie512
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dahlia Colt Ellwood was nothing but a scavenger - one that fought against the many crime rings that sprung up when the Omnic Crisis began, maybe - but a scavenger nonetheless. But when she is saved by Overwatch, she is in for the ride of her life as she finds out that she is more than just a scavenger. (Probably just a super cool scavenger honestly, with a couple cool gadgets, but that's being more than just a normal scavenger.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Highway to Maybe Hell?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any of the Overwatch characters. None. Zip. Zero. (Probably good that I don't, tbh.) Have fun reading my trash pile of words.

I ducked behind a barrel, keeping my sling slowly rotating beside me. As soon as that guy came from around the corner, he was getting a half pound of condensed steel straight to the face. He peeked past the edge, and that was enough for me. Swinging my left hand up, I let go of one of the strips of leather to the sling, and the shot went flying straight at him. Too late for him, he tried to duck down, but the steel had already crashed through the adobe brick on the building and hit him square in the forehead. He toppled to the ground, and didn’t get up.  
I looked around carefully, unsure if that was the last one of them, before standing up from my crouch and quietly retrieving my projectile. The shot was laying in a pool of the man’s blood and brain matter, so I picked it up and wiped it on his clothes, grimacing all the while at the nauseating smell and feeling of his blood on my fingers. Once it was clean, I dropped it in the satchel at my side, and started searching his clothes for anything I could use. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much there, just a half-empty box of matches and some bent-up cigarettes.  
I sighed, and left him lying there in the partial shade, with broken bits of brick scatteredall over.  
Guess who for sure wasn’t eating tonight?  
You guessed it. This girl.  
...I didn’t always live like this, in a world of wondering when your next meal was and killing people because they, well, were trying to kill you..  
My name’s Colt. Well, Dahlia Colt Ellwood, but I’ve gone by “Colt” ever since I first met my grandmama Dahlia, who was the sweetest stay-at-home grandmama there ever could be. That wasn’t who I wanted to grow up to be, so I ditched the “Dahlia” and went straight to “Colt”. It sounded cooler, anyways.  
I grew up in a small, hole-in-the-wall town in Central California. I lived with my Auntie Janice on a big farm with fifty cows, twenty chickens, and nine pigs, give or take. There was a forest that spanned more than half of her land, and two medium sized ponds, and those were the places where I spent most of my youth, falling out of trees just as often as I stayed up, and chasing the geese off of the fields and into the ponds. I never got tired of living the farm life, with all of my family just down the road, and no seatbelts until we went to the city.  
Of course, that was before my home was attacked by several omnics from the neighboring town. That was just a month after I had turned eighteen, and as luck would have it, I was in the fields, feeding the cows.  
I won’t go into what happened when I got back… I can’t.  
...But I can tell you how I got from the Middle of Nowhere, California, to the Middle of Even More Nowhere, New Mexico.  
I left my home after that, needless to say. At first, I was just meandering, much like I’m doing now, but back then it was just to keep my mind off of what had happened. But then about a year after leaving, while sitting in a loud cafe, I caught wind of a crime ring just on the other side of the border, and how it had been terrorizing people ever since the Omnic Crisis first began. That was when I caught the first bus to Arizona, and I spent a year there, slowly disbanding and killing their gang.  
And then I heard about the next group of people out in east Arizona, so I went there for six months. Of course, nobody praised me for my work. Instead, they shut their windows and doors tight when I walked past, worrying that the “redskin” would come and murder them in their houses. Silly, huh? It was like the eighteen hundreds all over again.  
Well anyways, after the six months, I cruised on over to New Mexico, where I’ve been for the past two years, living off the land and the money I found. No crime rings, just pure and simple poverty and loneliness. 

 

I slid down the wall of my cramped alley to rest wearily on the ground. Now that I thought about it, when was the last time I had eaten? It must have been at least… two days ago? Three? I couldn’t remember.  
Pulling my canteen off of my belt, I shakily raised it to my lips. But when there was nothing but a few drops, I swore and threw it at the opposite wall. I must’ve drunk the rest this morning.  
I cupped my forehead in my hands. Where could I get more water? Nobody would want to give me any out of the kindness of their hearts, and the well over in the courtyard was filled with nothing but sludge. It was a bit funny how thirsty I got, now that I knew how little water I actually had.  
I lifted my head to watch the street. It was mostly empty, but I knew that even if it were packed with people, none of them would be able to see me due to the brightness of the sun out there and the dimness of the alley I was in.  
Forcing myself to stand up, I walked over to where my canteen had landed down the alley, and picked it up. Luckily, I hadn’t dented it too badly, but there was a sizeable chunk taken out of the rubber bottom. I was tempted to throw it again, just because of how stupid throwing it in the first place had been, but I refrained, and instead clipped it back to my belt. Then, I turned around to find the nearest source of water. 

 

My surroundings were swirling around me, but I couldn’t tell if that was from the visible heat waves, or the fact that I hadn’t had any water for at least a day, and about four times that for food.  
I stumbled a bit on a piece of sidewalk that was jutting up from the dirt, but even as I tried to keep going, the world spun around me and suddenly I was looking up at the painfully blue sky. “God,” I murmured. “If you’re there, make sure the angel has a cold drink of water…”  
“Who’s a cool drink of water?”  
Next thing I knew, I was being hoisted into the air by a very warm body with equally warm arms. “Too hot,” I heard. Was that me that said it? I honestly couldn't tell, I was so delirious.  
Then we were in some blessed shade, and a cool metal was pressed against my lips. But along with it came… water!  
I guzzled the liquid thirstily, vaguely hearing the same voice say, “Easy, doll.”  
Common sense told me that if I drank too much at once, that I would get myself sick, but I couldn’t help it. It seemed to cool down my entire body, as lukewarm as it was, and I just wanted to drown in it.  
I did a little bit, I think. The water trickled down into my lungs, and I choked out a cough as the canteen was pulled away. I wanted to reach for it, to never let it go, but two things held me back - one, I could barely lift up my arms without crying, and two, I don't even know where the blasted thing went.  
Then concerned brown eyes met my own hazel ones, and he asked, “What’s your name, darlin’?”  
“Colt, Colt,” I muttered dazedly. “M’ name’s Colt.” I watched him wearily. I know I should have been more cautious, but it was hard when this man was the first person who had shown me any degree of kindness since I first left California. My eyes started to slip closed, and his own eyes - oh, those were pretty eyes - got wide.  
“Hey, Colt! Stay awake for me now, darlin’.” My vision pinholed, making it even harder to stay focused, but I still did my best - even if that wasn’t quite good enough.  
He turned away a bit to speak urgently into something he had attached to his wrist. “McCree to Blackwatch, I got an injured civilian, requestin’ aid.” He waited for several seconds, his gaze darting towards me every other one. “Okay,” McCree faced me again. “I have friends comin’, they’re gonna help you, alright?”  
I nodded slowly, fighting the urge to simply relax and sleep. “Yeah, alright…”  
“Shoot, I never did tell you m’ name, did I, Colt?” the man said, obviously trying to keep me engaged.  
“I thought your name was McCree?” I slurred.  
He smiled nervously down at me. “M’ name is McCree. Jesse McCree. But you can call me Jesse, doll.”  
“Nice t’ meet you, Jesse…”  
“That’s a good set of manners that your mama gave you.”  
I shook my head - at least, I tried to. I wasn’t sure if I was successful at all. “Never met my mama.”  
“I never met my pa, so I suppose that makes us similar.”  
The sound of a rapidly approaching helicopter interrupted him, and his face visibly relaxed. “Just hold on now,” Jesse said, lifting me into the air like one would a piece of glass. I wanted to tell him that I wasn't gonna break so easily, that I was tougher than I looked, but it just felt so nice to be treated gently.  
His eyes fixed on something in the horizon, and he began to jog. From my position, I could hear his heartbeat, and it was comforting, even with the intolerable heat bearing down on us from above. “Mercy!” I heard him call hoarsely, but it was as if I were underwater.  
A cool, gentle touch on my forehead, and a shocked gasp. “She’s burning up!” A quick discussion between several people that I couldn’t make out, and then I was being laid out on a flat surface. Jesse’s arms began to slide out from under me, but a sudden wave of terror struck me. “Her heart rate is climbing!”  
I hadn’t even noticed them attach a monitor to me, but that wasn’t what kept my attention. “Don’ leave me Jesse! Don’ leave me!” I cried. His hand caught onto one of my own, and squeezed.  
“Don’t you worry, doll. I’m right here.”


	2. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real original title, I know. Have fun reading :)

Chapter 2

 

Waking up was a trip. First of all, I was in a clean white room, with sheer curtains drawn against the - morning? - sky. Second, I felt fine. Perfectly normal, in fact. As if somebody had taken away every single pain, every physical hurt that had happened to me in the past four years. And third? 

A man was lying on the couch right next to my bed, sound asleep. 

I stared at him for a couple of seconds. Where had he come from? Sure, he looked a bit familiar, but I couldn’t place him. His hair was dark brown, long, shaggy, and unkempt, and there was a shadow of scruff on his chiseled chin. His eyebrows were almost as shaggy as his hair, but I had a feeling that when his eyes were open, they would look striking. He most certainly wasn’t bad looking. Just not a person I wanted to see. Because I had no clue who he was. 

I decided not to focus on that though, and looked around to find a way out of my situation. Just because I was fine here now, didn’t mean I was going to be kept that way. Lucky for me, the bed was situated in the middle of a wall, so it was a simple matter to slide out of the covers on the opposite side of the man. Now, I had to find my clothes and weapons, both without waking the man on the couch. 

I started walking over to a chair, to see if maybe my clothes were next to it, but a sharp tugging in the inside of my elbow halted me. My face paled, and I cursed quietly. “Shit!” How does one remove needles from one’s arm? More concerningly, how had I not noticed it earlier? I reached down and tugged gently at it. It didn’t hurt quite as badly as I’d thought it would have, so I started pulling it out slowly. 

Ow. Okay, now it was starting to hurt. The needle was out now, though, so I dropped it onto the bed and continued with my search. My clothes weren’t by the chair like I’d thought they might’ve been, so that left me with around the couch.

The only way to check behind him was across the bed, since the door had a wide window with a camera pointed straight down at the floor around it. So I quietly climbed across the bed, keeping an eye on him the entire time. I couldn’t quite see past the back of the couch from where I was, so, taking a chance - a really big one - I placed a hand on the armrest, where his legs and feet were dangling, and leaned forwards. There!

Just behind the man was a pile of neatly folded, clean, clothes that could only have been mine. They must’ve fallen off of the back of the couch. I stretched my left hand out, trying to reach them, but they were just out of my grasp. I would have to go around the other side of the couch to get to them. 

I sat back on the bed, and crawled to the opposite end. This was the end that had his head, and I gulped nervously this time, before repeating what I had done on the other end. I reached for my clothes, which were much closer to this side of the couch. 

Just as I had managed to snag my fingertips on the hem of my pants, a rumbling voice spooked me. “Need some help, doll?” 

I yelped, falling between the side of the couch and the wall. I heard him curse, and then he was peering over the armrest. “You alright?” he asked, offering me a hand. 

Meeting his brown eyes, the events of yesterday came rushing back to me. “You- Jesse!” 

Jesse smiled, and I felt a bit flustered at seeing him do so. “That’s my name, Colt. Don’ wear it out.” 

He pulled me up when I took his hand, but then his eyes dropped to my elbow. “Not that that’s not badass, but you should get that fixed.” 

I followed his gaze, then grimaced when I saw what he meant. Blood was trickling slowly down my forearm, and dripping onto the once white floor. I pressed my hand on my elbow to stem the flow, just as a very frantic looking blonde burst through the door. “I heard somebody yell?!” 

Then she saw my arm, and a worrying expression replaced the frantic one. “Oh, dear. Would you mind sitting back on the bed please, Dahlia?” 

I was in the middle of sitting down when she said my name, and I flickered up to Jesse. “How’d you guys find my name?” 

“Simple. Ve checked your appearance and name in ze database. Alzough,” the doctor said, pursing her lips as she began tending to my elbow. “It says zat you, and most of your family, have been dead for ze past four years. How can zat be possible?” 

I hesitated. I wasn’t quite comfortable talking about myself in the first place, and to have two all-but-complete strangers inquire about something so delicate… 

The doctor must have noticed my apprehension, for she blinked, and gave me a small, self-deprecating smile. “Excuse me, I forgot to give you my name. I am Dr. Angel Zeigler, but you may call me Mercy. And you know Mr. McCree, of course.” 

I went with the blatant change of subject gratefully, and glanced at the two of them. “Well, you already know my name, so I guess there’s no point in introducing myself.” 

Jesse shrugs. “I can’t say I know anything more than “Dahlia”. Or “Colt”. Whichever one’s your real name.”

I shook my head. “They both are, actually. My name’s Dahlia Colt Ellwood, but I’d prefer to go by Colt.”

Mercy finished wrapping up my elbow, and stood up from her crouched position by the bed. “Zhere ve are, all patched up.” 

I looked down at my arm, and saw that not only had she wrapped it very neatly in a thick gauze, but that she had also tied the end off with a little bow. My chest tightened at the small gesture, and I did my best not to let any tears out, but my eyes were definitely watery when I looked up at Mercy. “Thank you,” I told her sincerely. My voice shook a bit as I said so, and she frowned. 

“It is not too tight, is it? I can loosen it if you vant.” 

I shook my head. “N-no, its fine!” I paused for a second to compose myself some more. “I just - I haven’t had anybody really be this kind to me since…” 

“Since what?” Jesse asked gently. 

I took a breath, and shook my head. “I’ve just been by myself since my family…. since my family died.”

His eyes got wide with sympathy. Hopefully not false - I never was very good at telling social cues. “Four years all by yourself? Nobody to watch your back?” 

I shook my head again, and his gaze got uncannily perceptive. “You were lonely.” 

Jesse’s simple words struck a chord within me, and I found myself staring at him, shocked. I couldn’t even think of anything to say to that, so I just nodded. He didn’t look like he was going to break eye contact any time soon, so I did. I turned to Mercy, and asked, “Where’s the bathroom?” I wanted to wash my hands off, since they were still especially bloody. And hopefully take a shower, too. 

Wait. I was clean, but I hadn’t been before. Did… “Did someone wash me?” I asked dumbfoundedly, interrupting Mercy. 

Her cheeks got a bit pink. “I’m sorry, I had to. Both to help regulate your temperature, and to make sure you didn’t have any bacterial infections.” 

I nodded awkwardly, unsure what she meant by the last part. I wanted to ask, but then a beeping noise came from her pocket. “Oh, uh, vun moment please!” She pulled out a communicator and held a button. “Zhis is Merc-” Several voices poured out of the unit, and she paled, losing the pink flush she’d gotten earlier. “He is?! Oh, I am coming right now.” 

Mercy put away the communicator and rushed to the door. “Mr. McCree, vould you mind taking Colt to zhe bathroom?” 

And then she was off, leaving the two of us alone once more. I looked up at Jesse, and asked, “Do you know what’s goin’ on?” 

He shook his head. “No clue.” He sat there thinking for several seconds, then flicked his gaze back to me with a grin. “So, bathroom?” 

“Yes, please.” We simultaneously stood up, and his grin got even bigger. 

“I didn’ think you were this small, darlin’!” 

I frowned at him. “What does it matter?” 

Jesse leered at me a bit. “It’s cute,” he told me, drawing out the “u”, then walked out the door. “You comin’?” 

I stared at the spot where he had just been, my face violently hot. Did he just….? I stood there for about three seconds, then rushed out the door. 

I caught up with him, and decided not to bring up what he’d said earlier. Instead, I asked about where we were. 

“We’re in one of the Overwatch facilities, in New Mexico.” 

I nodded, recalling who he’d called yesterday. “How long have you been here, Jesse?” 

“I’d say about three years now. Four?” He hesitated, before shrugging. “Three or four years. I used to be an outlaw, but I got caught. They told me “either stay behind bars the rest of your life, or come join Blackwatch” - that’s an extension of Overwatch. And you can guess what I chose,” he said, winking down at me. 

We walked through another hall, and then we were met with a door with a large “F” on the circular sign. “Alright, doll. I’ll just leave you here now. Comm me from the unit in the bathroom when you wanna go back.” 

“Alright,” I said, walking up and opening the door. I glanced back at him, and he gave me a little wave and sauntered off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to fix the paragraph style, and I think it worked. Review if you agree!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this was my first time uploading a fic on AO3! I hope the paragraph didn't get all wonky, but more than that, I hope you liked it!!! Please, give me any review or comment :) (Be gentle on me please <3).


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